Lord John Hay was born in Geneva on 23 August 1827, the fourth son of the 8th Marquess of Tweedale. He entered the Navy as a Volunteer First Class on 13 August 1840 aboard H.M.S. North Star and transferred shortly afterwards to Endymion on 24 November 1840, in which vessel he took part in the First China War, and afterwards against the Borneo pirates. After serving aboard Endymion for three years he was appointed to Vestal as a Midshipman on 4 December 1843, later joining Agincourt as an ‘Admiralty Mate’ where, on 19 December 1846, he was made Lieutenant R.N.


After spending six months aboard Spiteful in 1847, he joined Powerful in April 1848 for a three year commission in the Mediterranean. He was promoted to Commander on 28 August 1851, followed by an appointment to Wasp in August 1852, to take part in the Crimean War in 1854, remaining in that theatre when transferred to Tribune, November 1854 to January 1855, and then returned to Wasp and to Forth in November 1855 until paid off in October 1856.


He was especially promoted to Captain in November 1854 for service in the trenches before Sebastopol, where he was wounded. In 1855 he was commended by Sir Edmund Lyons for his zeal and gallantry in continuing to serve in the Naval Brigade before Sebastopol although on half pay, receiving the C.B. in July 1855, and subsequently the Order of the Medjidie 4th Class and Knight of the Legion of Honour 5th Class.


In 1858 he was given command of the paddle-wheel frigate Odin in which he went out to China, and in August 1860 he had command of the 3rd squadron of gunboats in the operations which resulted in the capture of the forts at the mouth of the Pei-ho. For this he received clasps for ‘Taku Forts 1860’ and ‘Pekin 1860’ and, being already in possession of the medal for the First China War, he also received the rare clasp ‘China 1842’ to denote his earlier service, one of only 101 recipients of this rare clasp.


His place in British history for this war, however, has little to do with military action, since he was the second man to bring home pekinese dogs, probably in 1863, and subsequently became a famous breeder at Fulmer Palace of this new strain introduced into England. All the first five of these “sleeve dogs” were very small, and that named Schlorff, a rich chestnut with a dark mask, belonging to Lord John Hay lived to a record age of twenty five years. A little black and white bitch named Hytien, Lord John gave to his sister, The Duchess of Wellington, who began the breed from Stratfield Saye.


In 1866 and again from 1868 to 1871 he was a Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty. On 7 May 1872 he became a Rear Admiral and through 1875 he was second in Command of the Channel fleet of which he became Commander-in-Chief from November 1877 to December 1879. When the Mediterranean fleet was in the Sea of Marmara, a part of the Channel fleet, with Lord John Hay in command, was sent into the Mediterranean, and whilst there he took possession of Cyprus and temporarily administered the government of the island, a service for which he was officially thanked by the Admiralty and the Secretary for Foreign Affairs.


From 1880 Lord John Hay was again a Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty until February 1883, when he was appointed Commander- in-Chief in the Mediterranean, hoisting his flag in Lively. He had become a Vice Admiral on 31 December 1877, and been nominated a K.C.B. on 24 May 1881. He attained the rank of Admiral on 8 July 1884 but continued in the Mediterranean Command for the full period of three years, and was awarded the thanks of both Houses of Parliament for the support and assistance he rendered to the forces employed in the operations in the Sudan. He received the Egypt medal with the somewhat rare rank of Admiral indented on its edge, and from the Sultan of Egypt the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Medjidie.


In 1886 he was First Naval Lord of the Admiralty, and on 30 July he was advanced to G.C.B. In May 1887 he was appointed Commander-in-Chief at Devonport, which position he held until 15 December 1888, when he was promoted Admiral of the Fleet. On attaining the age of 70 years in 1897 he was retired. In the general election of 1857 he was returned to Parliament as M.P. for Wick, and in 1866 and 1868 for Ripon. He was also a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. Lord John Hay died at Fulmer, Buckinghamshire, aged 88 years, on 4 May 1916 as “Father of the Navy” whilst serving as the most senior of the Admirals of the Fleet.


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